PAKISTAN cricket suffered a body blow yesterday with India cancelling a tour which was scheduled to begin in mid-January next year.

India’s tour to Pakistan had hinged on government permission to travel to the neighbouring country.

But with political and diplomatic ties between the two countries hitting a new low due to the terror attacks in Mumbai, the Indian government refused to allow the tour to go ahead.

Pakistan have suffered from a severe lack of international cricket this year with International Cricket Council member countries refusing to undertake scheduled tours due to security concerns.

Australia postponed a scheduled tour in April, New Zealand cancelled a threematch one-day series and the ICC Champions Trophy, due to be held in Pakistan in September, was postponed for 13 months after several teams refused to travel to the Asian country.

Pakistan have not played a Test match this year and have managed only 21 one-day internationals, most of them against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh.

The ICC have refused to intervene, saying they could not force teams to undertake bilateral tours of Pakistan.

Pakistan board chairman Ijaz Butt said the cancellation of the series was a setback.